Transmission



TRANSMI SSION Fileg July 28, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l v Invenlor E Y ezyaM/SZzreeZ-L Q By Allorney B. W. STREET TRANSMISSION Feb. 23, 1932.

Filed July 28, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenlor w qmNr-L gf WW w M YK E NVMWW- B. W. STREET Feb. z3, 1932.

TRANSMI SS l ON 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 28, 1930 Ailorney B- W. STREET TRANSMISSION Fels.l 23, 1932',

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l W LW Filed July 28, 1930 Invenlor 7 62%@ IVI/5296671.

A Homey Patented Feb. 23, 12932l UNITED' STATES IBEUFORD W. STREET, v'OF OLNEY, .ILLINOIS TRANSMISSION Application filed Ju1y28, 1930. Serial No. 471,348.

r[hisinzvention relates -to an improved transmission `for motor vehicles `and an object of fthe same is vto .eliminate the racket .and :noise attendantupon the shifting of.the1trans- S-.mission gears in the ,operation of the Vautomobile.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a transmission embodying a vnew and novel arrangement of Aparts vwhereby the "1@ shifting of the speed units of the transmission is accomplished without :anydisagreeable noise and wherein vthe shift to any unit of theztransmissioncan be .made at any speed in a silent and practically imperceptible manner.

An additionallobject isto .provide a .novel form of :transmission which `dispenses Vwith `the use-of cogs or gears and employs in their stead, va plurality of driving anddriven fric- "tiondisks `adapted to be relatively-engaged and `disengaged in a silent and eiicient manner.

With the above and other objects in view, the yinvention consists in the novel construction, Vand arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully describedand explained, with reference to :the accompanying drawings illus- 'trating the invention and wherein:

Figure l is a sideelevation of a motorand transmission assembly embodying theinvention,

Figure 2 is ahorizontal cross section `on the transmission assembly,

Figure '3 -is a vertical cross sectionon fline 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a detail view Aof one of the guides for the gear shift lever,

Figure 5 is a detail view of one of the ,gear sleeves,

Figure 6 is a cross section of adisk housing on `the line 6-6 o'fFigure 2,

Figures 7 and 8 are detail views ofa driven and driving disk-respectively, Figure 9 is a cross section-onthe line 9 9 of Figure .2,

Figure 10 is a cross section on line 10-10` v of :Figure 2,.and :Figure 111 isla sectionaldetailview ofa portion of oneof the disk housingassemblies.

-2 .and '10.

Inthe drawings,themotoris:indicated-at 11, rthe clutch housing andfclutchoperating ypedal .at 2 and 3 respectively, the transmission housing 4 and the gear shift leverat.

As shown in FigureQ, the `power endo'f the 51,3

Vclutch shaft J6 is suitably :journalled in :the

forward end ofthe .-transmission :housing l and has a ygear 7 fixed thereon which .drives :the oppositely disposed gears 8 and .9 iiXedon the counter shafts lOand ll respectively. Fosico tioned centrally `between Athe icou'nter shafts :and suitably supported .at Vits ends .is .the

Adriven-shaft which yis adapted to bexdriven from the A.variable speed units on :the counter shaft. For the :purposes `of the present ain- .o5 Avention, afourspeed units are shownand consist of vthe .low speed unit 13 .andthe .revers- *ing unit .14 rmounted oncountershaft @l0 and ,thelhigh speed unit l5 andintermediate speed unit 16 mounted Vencounter shaft All. Slid- 0 ablyfmounted onieach counter shaft'between the speed units vthereof fis Ya slide block 17 `which is guidedin itsslidingzmovement along :the counter shaft, Las well as abeing fheld -against rotation thereon, by a :guideibrac'ket 275 .18 anchored to a side wall of the housing and extending longitudinally within la hori- Zontallydisposed guide groove 19 ,in1theadjacent efaceof .the block, as shown in Figures The .guide Sbraclet has acentrally located u I'notch 20 kin which -seats the 'lockingrpinQd 'of :theblock for normally `holdingtheblockin a Ineutral position. rEhe pin 2l fis yieldably Aheldin itslseating notc'h by aitension'spring 185 Y 22 arranged within the inner :portion Vof the enlarged base slidabl-y .housed within ,a A re- .cess.28. closedatits innerendby a screw `plug 29. `The `pin .27 is mormally maintained lin extended vvposition `yfrom the recess by the :ac-

etion of aspring 30'confn'ed betweenzthe base 'i100 of the pin and the inner face of the screw plug.

As shown in Figure 3, gear shift lever 5 has a universal mounting 31 permitting it to be actuated for moving the lower or ball bearing end forward, backward and sideways. The ball end 26 of the shift lever is normally positioned between the guide plate 32 and 32 at the lower depending ends of front and rear guides 33 and 33 respectively. Each guide is of the construction shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4 and are suitably attached at their respective upper ends to the cover or other convenient part of the transmission housing. Each guide plate has a rearwardly extending wing 34 adjacent each end thereof and formed with a vertically extending groove 35 of semi-circular cross section to seat the ball 26 of the shift lever.

The slide blocks 17 of the counter shaft are normally positioned with respect to the guide plates .32 and 32 so that each open end of the sideway between the plates is confronted by a channel 25 in which the ball 26 engages when the lower end of the lever is moved sideways during the gear shifting operation.

Since the variable speed units are similar in construction and manner of operation, a description of one will suflice for all. Each unit embodies a speed gear of the friction clutch disk type including a plurality of spaced apart driving disks 36 fiXedly mounted on the counter shaft and closed by a disk housing 37 having a plurality of disks 38 fixed thereto and depending in the spaces between the disks 36. The housing 37 is provided at its inner end with a shaft encircling hub 39 having an extension 40 of square shape on the outside to t within a square recess in a thrust collar 41 having a flanged end disposed in abutment against one end of a slide block 17.

A spring 42 encircles the hub 39 in the collar 41 between the inner face of the housing and the flanged end of the collar and is ten- Ysioned to normally hold the extension 40 disposed near the outer end of the recess of the collar. On its outer side, the disk housing is provided with a hub 43 having a square shaped bore in which is received the eXtension 44 of a gear sleeve 45, which extension is also of square shape on the outer side to conform to the shape of the bore of the hub 43 which is slidable thereon.

A spring 46 encircles the hub 43 and the adjacent portion of the sleeve 45, being seated at one end against the adjacent face of the housing and at the other end against the flange 47 on the sleeve. The disk housings, gear sleeves, and thrust collars are loose on their respective counter shafts and the springs 42 and 47 act oppositely to each other to normally position the housing therebetween with its disks 38 out of contact with the shaft carried disk 36. Each sleeve has a gear 48 fixedly mounted thereon, and, with the exception of the reversing unit 14, in mesh directly with a gear 49 Xed on the drive shaft l2.

The reversing unit includes a reversing gear 50 interposed between the sleeve gear 48 and and the driven shaft gear 49 for reversing the direction of rotation of the driven shaft. The motion of crank shaft 6 is transmitted to the counter shaft through the gears 7, 8 and 9 and from the counter shaft to the driven shaft through the gears of the several speed units, each of which will have a different gear ratio to provide the required changes in speed.

In the neutral position of the shift, the parts are relatively arranged as shown in Figure 2 and in shifting from neutral to low or starting speed, the gear shift lever 5 is moved to shift the knob 26 toward the top of Figure 2 until it engages in the channel 25 of the slide block 17 and pushes back the pin 27. The lever is then moved to shift the slide block to the left of the ligure and when the channel 25 is opposite the groove 35 of the guide ring 34, the ball 26 of the shift lever will enter the groove under pressure from the spring 30 acting against the pin 27. At this time, the disks 38 of the housing are frictionally engaged with the revolving disk 46 of the counter shaft, due to the compression of springs 42 and 46 and the housing rotates with the shaft, carrying with it the sleeve 45 and the gear 48 which by reason of its driving connection with gear 49 rotates the driven shaft 12 at a low speed.

By following the same operation but reversing the direction of the shift, the change from low to second or intermediate speed is similarly effected. In shifting to high, the gear shift lever is pulled straight back from second speed and to shift into reverse, the operation is the same as in shifting into low speed, except that the ball 26 is moved to the right of the ligure.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the shift from one unit of the transmission to' another is accomplished in a silent and efficient manner, there being no gears to clash or grind with the disagreeable racket always associated with the shifting of gears of the intermeshing cog type. Other advantages in respect to construction and operation of the transmission will be apparent from the preceding description of the invention and it is to be understood that various changes and alterations may be made within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In a transmission, a gear shift lever, a guide plate along which the lower end of said lever is movable, said plate having a laterally disposed socket at one end for receiving the lower end of the lever, a slide block movable crosswise of the end of the guide plate and having a socket adapted when adjacent the end of the plate to' be entered by the lower end of the lever whereby shifting of the lever will move the block, and means in the socket of the block for causing the said end of the lever to be shifted into the laterally disposed so'cket of the guide plate when the socket of the said movable block is opposite thereto, whereby the lever and block will be yieldingly held in shifted position.

2. In a transmission, a gear shift lever, a pair of guide plates between which 'the lower end of said lever is movable, each plate having a laterally disposed socket at one end for receiving the lower end of the lever, a slide block movable crosswise of the ends of the spaced guide plates, and having a socket therein adapted when adjacent the space between the plates to be entered bv the lower end of the lever whereby shifting of the lever will move the block, means for yieldingly holding the block in a position with the socket opposite the space between the plates and a spring-pressed plunger in the block and eX- tending into' the socket for pressing the lower end of the lever into a lateral socket when the socket of the block is opposite the lateral socket, whereby the lever and block will be yieldingly held in shifted position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

BEUFORD W. STREET. 

